China overtakes US as Germany’s top trading partner

Friedrich Merz to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing, with goods worth €251bn traded between two countries in 2025

China has overtaken the US as Germany’s top trading partner, figures have shown, as the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, prepares for his first visit to Beijing since taking office.

Merz will head to China on Tuesday and will be welcomed with military honours on Wednesday in Beijing by the prime minister, Li Qiang, before later meeting the president, Xi Jinping, for talks over dinner, his spokesperson Sebastian Hille said.

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Why This Matters

Friedrich Merz to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing, with goods worth €251bn traded between two countries in 2025

China has overtaken the US as Germany’s top trading partner, figures have shown, as the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, prepares for his first visit to Beijing since taking office.

Merz will head to China on Tuesday and will be welcomed with military honours on Wednesday in Beijing by the prime minist... The story is categorized under UK Politics with a positive tone (score 0.15).

In Week 8 2026, UK Politics accounted for 212 related article(s), with UK Politics setting the broader headline context. Coverage of UK Politics increased by 41 article(s) versus the prior week, signaling growing editorial attention.

Coverage Snapshot

Week 8 2026 included 212 UK Politics article(s). Leading outlets for this topic included Independent, BBC, BBC Business. Across that cluster, sentiment showed a mostly neutral skew (avg score 0.01).

Key Insights

Primary keywords: china, germany, trading, partner, merz.
Topic focus: UK Politics coverage with positive sentiment.
Source context: reported by Guardian Business.
Published: 2026-02-22.
Published by Guardian Business, a widely cited major outlet.
Date context: published during Week 8 2026, when UK Politics dominated weekly headlines.

Tone & Sentiment

The article tone is classified as positive, driven by the language and emphasis in the summary. The sentiment score of 0.15 indicates the strength of that tone.

Context

This piece fits within the broader UK Politics narrative, connecting current events to ongoing developments. Readers tracking UK Politics trends can use this article as a concise signal of what is shaping coverage right now.

Related Topics

UK Politics

Key Takeaway

In short, this article underscores key movement in UK Politics and explains why it matters now.

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Guardian Business China overtakes US as Germany’s top trading partner